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32nd out of 94 books
—
16 voters
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Led Zeppelin IV (33⅓ #17)
by
Erik Davis
In this wickedly entertaining and thoroughly informed homage to one of rock music s towering pinnacles, Erik Davis investigates the magic black or otherwise that surrounds this album. Carefully peeling the layers from each song, Davis reveals their dark and often mystical roots and leaves the reader to decide whether FOUR SYMBOLS] is some form of occult induction or just ...more
Paperback, 184 pages
Published
May 1st 2005
by Continuum
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I was not prepared for this to be the best written book of the 33 and 1/3 series that I've read to date, but it is. Of the albums in this series, Led Zeppelin's Four Symbols (or @,#,$,% to spite the band) is not my favorite (Steely Dan's Aja is), nor is it my favorite album from Led Zeppelin (God help me, but I think Physical Graffiti just might be my favorite, even though there are several tracks on it that I despise). But this book adds to one's understanding of the album and critically engage...more
This one's a lot of fun. This one of the 33 1/3 series isn't about the recording, the circumstances, or the people -- it's about the analysis that's gone into the album and the band, with a particular focus on the magickal nature of the songs, lyrics, and the band members' interests. Davis is ideal to write this, with a very deep knowledge of Crowley in particular. Jimmy Page's interest in Crowley is well-known, and features in a lot of the analysis here. If you just want to read about the songs...more
I enjoyed this book immensely. I didn't come to it as a fan of Led Zepplin, but as someone interested in the (imaginary?) underpinnings of magic behind the legendary dinosaurs of rock. That said, Erik Davis did not disappoint. I look forward to the ideas he floats here inspiring my fiction. I was particularly taken by the notion that Jimmy Page owned a magical bookshop in London that sold Crowleyana...
Much recommended as a fantasy about some very famous rock stars. However, if you...more
Much recommended as a fantasy about some very famous rock stars. However, if you...more
I'm all for philosophical treatment of art and am not above seeing rock music as a form of art. Add to that a passion for Led Zeppelin spanning over three decades and I'm a prime candidate for the 33 1/3 series take on the Zep's fourth album. But in the end I just want to sound stupid and say, "hey, it's just rock and roll." Like most conspiracy theories, Erik Davis gives too much credit to four stoned rockers for putting together a mythological story tied to together by 8 great rock s...more
I really enjoyed this book, after knowing very little about Led Zeppelin. There are a lot of tangents unrelated to music, which is possibly how my mind seems to function on most days, so that made it an enjoyable read altogether. I think I'm officially a third of the way through the series. At least until I fall behind again.
These 33.3 books can really be hit or miss, but this one was pretty great. The author does a nice job dissecting Zeppelin's opus in the context of their entire career. There are also some juicy tidbits about the band's internal politics and who contributed what when it came to songwriting and recording.
What I wanted to know was more about how the music was made (although now I know why the drums in "When the Levee Breaks" sound like that). What I got mostly was an analysis of the mystical, magickyl, occult-y, references in the album. While well-written, perhaps a book is not always the best way to fully appreciate music. Maybe we need to ask Jimmy Page more about synesthesia and less about the Lady of Mordor's Black Dog of Peril.
This book is interesting at times and I did learn a few worthwhile facts, but as a whole the book is entirely too wordy and the authors thoughts are fuzzy and random. Most of the time he goes off on a tangent that has nothing to do whatsoever with the general topic or even about Led Zeppelin's music. I got bored and quit 3/4 into it.
Its alright, its ok to like Zep IV. Mr. Davis told me so. Hail Satan and the Three-fold Goddess alike! Long live the elf-shrouded twilight of the melancholy cock-rock!
As much as you ever wanted to know about the musical/artistic/historical/Satanic/whimsical implications of Zeppelin's fourth album and more!
A trove of trivia regarding the creation and impact of one of Rock's most influential albums.
abandoned
not my cup of mead
not my cup of mead
I was very disappointed in this book. The author had a clear agenda in attempting to view the album as a narrative storyline, and he molded and stretched the songs akwardly to fit his vision. The links to Crowley and Satanism were thin, overstated, and repeated endlessly, but worst of all, there was too little about the music! In general, I like the free form nature of the series, but this effort was lacking in my opinion.
By FAR the best 33 1/3 book I've read. (I read velvet underground, MBV, GBV, neutral milk hotel) Personally, I don't want to read a book about the technical recording aspects of the album, or where the musicians grew up, or what their fans have to say... I want to read about the soul of the album. Which Erik Davis manages to capture in this book. Highly recommended.
seriously? he spends the whole intro talking about the fact that there is way too much mythos read into led zeppelin only to do nothing but further the issue throughout the rest of the book. i fucking love this record and this series of books. what happened here?
Erik Davis is an amazing writer -- as spiritually tied in as he is musically astute. I am not even that big of a Zep fan and I loved this.
A little more pretentious than other entries in the 33 1/3 series but still a fun read. About 3 and 1/2 stars.
Jared
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Matthew
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Dan Bogosian
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